Colloquium

Title: Numerical simulation of black hole accretion and outflow

Speaker:  Prof. Luis Ho, Peking University

Location: ZOOM: https://zoom.com.cn/j/67297413270 PIN: 938962

Time: 16:00-17:00,Wed, Mar. 17, 2021

Abstract:

The centers of all massive galaxies contain supermassive black holes weighing millions to tens of billions times the mass of the Sun.  Recent observations reveal that even a significant fraction of low-mass galaxies contain smaller intermediate-mass black holes, which give new insights into the birth of supermassive black holes and offer predictions for the next generation of gravitational wave experiments.  Accretion of matter by central black holes power energetic phenomena such as quasars and various forms of active galactic nuclei.  The energy and momentum released by accretion, in turn, may strongly influence the lifecycle of galaxies.  I will summarize the critical observations over the past 20 years that have led to the discovery of the widespread existence of black holes in galaxies, which is among one of the most important developments in modern astrophysics.